1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a still video type and movie type video camera which includes a microphone shifting mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a video camera includes a sound recording microphone. Particularly in the case of an integrated video camera having a built-in video deck provided therein or a video camera having a zooming mechanism incorporated therein, a microphone is preferably disposed at a location as far as possible from a body of the camera in order to prevent noises upon actuation of the video deck or the lens from being recorded by way of the microphone. However, where a microphone is fixed at a location spaced from a body of a camera, the compactness of the camera is lost and the camera is inconvenient in putting it into a case or in transportation thereof.
In order to resolve the problem, it has been proposed that a microphone is normally held at a retracted inoperative position in which it is accommodated in or closely contacted with a body of the camera so as to facilitate accommodation or transportation of the camera, but when the microphone is to be used, it is shifted by manual operation of a photographer to a projected operative position in which it is projected and spaced apart from the body of the camera so that noises may not inadvertently be recorded by way of the microphone.
FIG. 5 schematically shows a typical one of conventional video cameras. Referring to FIG. 5, the video camera shown is generally composed of a body section 1, a viewfinder section 2 and a grip section 4. A video deck 10 is disposed in the inside of the body section 1, and a microphone 9 is disposed at the top of the body section 1. An eye cup 3 is mounted on the viewfinder section 2. A lens component 6 is disposed in the inside of the grip section 4, and a hand strap 5 is provided on a side wall of the grip section 4 while a power supply switch 8 is located on a front wall 4a of the grip section 4. The microphone 9 is mounted for shifting movement between a retracted position shown in solid lines in FIG. 5 to which it is held when the video camera is not used for photographing and another projected or advanced position shown in phantom in FIG. 5 to which it is manually pulled out by a photographer when the video camera is to be used for photographing.
In such a conventional video camera as described just above, a switching operation for changing over the camera between a photographing enabled or picture recording enabled condition and a photographing disabled or picture reproduction enabled condition and a shifting operation for shifting a microphone between a retracted inoperative position and a projected or advanced operative position are carried out independently of each other. Thus, if a photographer forgets to pull out the microphone, then noises of a video deck or the camera may be recorded by way of the microphone while the microphone is held at its retracted position.
Such a conventional video camera is further designed such that a changing over operation relating to picture recording such as an operation to open or close a lens barrier normally provided for protection of a lens of the camera is carried out independently of a shiting operation for shifting a microphone between a retracted inoperative position and a projected or advanced operative position. In the case of the video camera, a photographer is similarly liable to forget to shift the microphone from the retracted to the projected or advanced position or vice versa. If recording is made with the microphone left at the retracted position during photographing, then noises of a video deck or the camera will be recorded by way of the microphone.